Roof or eloos construction



Nov. 27, 1923.

H. E. MARKS ROOF OR FLOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. l5

PIE-5 1.

Patented Nov. 27, i923.

tlNlTtlD QFFICE.

HERBERT E. MARKS, 0F GLEN OSBORNE, SEW'ECKLEY, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROUF OR FLOOR CNSTRUCTION.

Application filed December 15, 1922.

To all 'whom t may concer/n Be it known that l, lilnennn'r lil. Manns, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Glen Osborne, Sewickley, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania,` have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Roof or Floor Constructions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to roof or floor constructions of the type in which pre-casi. slabs of cementitious material are supported on the roof or ioor beams, and in which a metal mesh reinforcement, or its equivalent, is em bedded in the cementitious material.

One object of the invention is to provide a slab for the purpose stated which will cheapen the construction of roofs and floors. A further object is to provide a cheap and easily applied way of uniting the reinforce ment of adjacent slabs to form an eliicient continuous reinforcement. A still further object is to provide a construction of slab for the purpose stated which insures that the metal reinforcement will bc located in the tension zone of the slab, but which nevertheless affords complete protection for the metal reinforcement and at the same time has marked heat insulating' properties and thus prevents the ceiling from sweating.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. l is a plan View, partly broken away, showing the invention applied to a roof construction; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the ine 2-2, Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a vertical ser tional view showing the ends of two of the slabs and one of the joints on an enlarged scale; and Fig. el is a perspective view illustrating the manner of connecting the reinforcement at the joint.

The drawings illustrate the invention applied to a roof construction, but it can he applied in an exactly similar way to a licor construction. ln the drawings l represents the main beams of the structure, which iu the case of a roof will be'the purlins. Ther-e may be of any suitable type, either wood. or metal, and are illustrated as metal channel beams.

2 indicates the cemcnt-itious slabs, which are shown of a length equal to the distance between adjacent purlins and are supported at their ends upon the purlins. These slabs are formed of three parts, to-wit, a lower portion 3 comprising the well known plaster or gypsum board, an upper or body portion Ll formed of a suitable cementitious material,

Serial No. 807,019.

and an embedded metal reinforcement The body portion may he formed of any suitable cemeniiitious material. lVhere great strength is required it may be formed of concrete of the usual mixture, but where less strength is permissible and lightness is desired, it will be formed of a gypsum mixture.

These slabs will be formed in suitable molds, in well known ways, with the metal reinforcement located in the lower part of the body portion and therefore in the tension zone of the slab, and the plaster' or gypsum board bonded directly to the cemen titious body. Because the cementitious mixture is applied in the wet state, it bonds firmly with the plaster or gypsum board and consequently the slab becomes substantially monolithic. it is desirable to have the metal reinforcement as far down in the cementitions body as possible, and by applying the plaster board to the lower face of the body, there is no danger of any part of the metal reinforcement being exposed on the lower face of the slab.

The metal reinforcement may be of any suitable kind, but for efficiency or cheapness of construction it is preferred to use an electrically welded mesh composed of longitudinal strand wires or rods G and transverse wires or rods 7, welded at their crossing points. This fabric will be placed in the slab in such position that one of the trans verse wires or rods 7, such as that indicated as T, will be located a predetermined short distance, say an inch, beyond one end of the slab. At the other end` of the slab the reinforcement will be allowed to project a .suitable distance, say two or three inches, but without taking into account the location of the transverse wires or rods at this projecting end. The slabs will be molded of a length corres iondino' to the distance lic-' tween the` centers of adjacent purlins. its this distance varies in different roofs and floors, the above method of placing the reinforcement is entirely independent of the length of the slabs. The `esult is that ne matter what are the lengths of slabs, said slabs at one cnd will have the projecting reinforcement provided with a transverse wire or rod properly spaced from the end of said slab, and at the other end will have the longitudinal wires or rods of the reinforcement projecting a suitable distance. These slabs are placed with their ends resting on the purlins, as s'iown in the d the projecting ends oil? the .longitudinal wires or rods ot one slab will be bent to engage against er around the transtforsa rod or wire the reinforcement at the end olf the adjacent slab, as shown at 8, ln this way longitudinal wires or rods ot the reinforcements oi' adjacent slabs are formed into substantially continuous reinforcing membeis-and this is accomplished in a cheap and eiliciei'it manner, in exactly the same no matter what the lengths oit the slabs may be. Alfter the slabs are put in place, the joint between adjacent ends is lilled with grouting, in the usual way, as shown at 9, thus completely embedding the ljoint and holding the interlocking ends ot the reinforcement in place. The top strface may,

when desired, be provided with a waterproofing coating in the usual way.

rllhe slabs, as stated, can be termed in this way of any desired length, and as they are not supported at their edges they may be formed oi any desired width. Generally speaking, the slabs will -be cast of a size and weight to permit of their ready handling, and consequently when the slabs are short they may be ot considerable width, but when they are very long they will preferably be oi narrower width. This Yform of slab is therefore flexible and readily adapts the construction to any spacing whatsoever between the purlins or supporting beams.

The plaster boards not only :form a huish for the lower surface of the slabs, but also have high heat insulating` properties and therefore prevent the ceilings 'formed by slabs iaced with them, Yfrom sweating. Also by using such plasterboards the metal reinforcement can be embedded in the slab well down in the tension Zone oi the body, the plaster board rmly bonded 'to the body, insuring concealment of the metal reinforcement and its absolute Vprotection `from the atmosphere.

The construction described is cheap, does not require rafters or similar smaller root or iloor members, but can be supported directly upon the purlins or main floor beams; is :tlc lble L "l thus adapted to any spaci iloor be'ifns, gives a strorg vdoor with ,inibs'ilantially continuous reinforcement 'from end to end; possess-es rood heat insulating dlpialities; absolutely protects the `reinforceinent prein the atnios`n pherc and at 'the saaie time insures that said .V cement is lo ted in` the tension Zone ot id withal is cheap not only to the in ateri als; usedand method of lorming the slabs themselves, but also as to the `manner et erectin,Q placing them in position.

lll/'bile l pre'ler to use plast-er or gj-,-fpsum board 'o term the lower tace oit the slabs, the saine results can be secured by iii-st pouring into the molds a thin layer ot gypsum or lamelle then applying the metal reinforcement and l claim:

l. slab ior root or 'floor construct-ions comprising a lower layer of plaster or gypsum, a body of strong cementitious material molded directly to said gypsum layer, and metal reinforcement embedded in the tension zone or said body.

2. A slab for root or loor constructions comprising a plaster or gypsum board orming its lower tace, and a body of cementitious material molded thereto and integral therewith.

3. i slab for root or floor constructions comprising a plaster or gj-,fpsum board forming its lower tace7 a body ot cementitious material molded thereto and integral therewith, and metal reinforcement embedded in said body adjacent to the plaster board.

i slabl for rooif or floor constructions comprising a body of tcmentitious material, and a metal reinforcing fabric embedded therein and comprising a fabric having longitudinal members and transverse members rigidly united at their crossing points, and so located that at one end or the slab a transverse member is outside ot and spaced from the end of the slab and at the other end the longitudinal members project beyond the end ot the slaiii.

A slab Jtor roof or viloor constructions comprising a plaster or gypsum board forming its lower face, a body of cementitions material molded 'thereto and integral therewith, and a metal reinforcing fabric embedded therein and comprising a fabric having longitudinal members and transverse members rigidly united at their crossing points, ant so located that at one end oil the slab a transverse member is outside of and spaced `trom the end of the slab and at the other end the longitudinal members project beyond the end of the slab.

6. A roojl" or floor construction comprising supporting beams, cementitious slabs supported at their ends on said beams, a met-asl reinforcement embedded in said slabs land comprising a fabric having longitudinal members and transverse members rigidly united at their crossingpoi-nts and so lon rated that at one end ot each slab va transverse member is outside ol2 and spaced Yfrom the end Voi the slab 'and at the opposite end ot each slab the longitudinal n'leinbers project beyond the end oi the slab. f'midpro jecting ends of the longitudinal nicifi'bers being bent to interlock with the tra i menibr at the end ot the adjacent slab, andl uti Afilling spaces between the ends the slabs. ln testimony whereof. lsign my name. HERBERT lilillti. Vlitness:

EDWIN O. JOHNS. 

